Strategic Marketing Consulting Group On A Mission To Help Local Business Owners and Independent Professionals Expand Their Markets Online

The strategic marketing consulting company, 1424 Marketing Group LLC, headquartered in Washington, DC, with offices in Atlanta and Chicago, announces the launch of their new website and their mission to provide online marketing solutions for the local business owner whose customers have become avid online searchers.

“This marks a milestone for our company and also a profit-turning moment for local businesses and professionals, wherever they are located,” said Co-founder and CEO, Dr. Thia Hamilton. “ We’ve taken our expertise in the online search marketing sector, and made it our mission to help local businesses and independent professionals grow their businesses by tapping into and leveraging the power of the Internet.” Business owners find helpful tools on the website, that they can put to use right away.

Co-founders Hamilton, in Washington, DC and COO Deborah Young, in Atlanta, GA, formed 1424 Marketing Group in the summer of 2010, in response to requests by local business owners who knew that they needed to have an online presence in order to keep their businesses competitive and growing but didn’t know how to go about it.

What Hamilton and Young learned in talking with small business owners in several cities, was that their initial lack of online success was leading them to a faulty conclusion; namely, that the Internet is putting a lot of Goliath-like businesses in their way, and creating a competitive field in which they no longer stand a chance. “This couldn’t be farther from the truth,” said Young. “It is all in knowing how to get the Internet working for your business, instead of against it. Fortunately, it is a pretty easy fix for most businesses.”

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Marketing your business: the first 100 days

Eventarc co-founder Scott Handsaker says businesses shouldn't throw money at marketing without first testing assumptions. Photo: Supplied

The first 100 days of a business's marketing program can make or break a fledgling enterprise. It's all too easy to bleed the business dry with expensive but ultimately fruitless marketing strategies, without generating enough revenue to get the business off the ground.

Scott Handsaker, co-founder of online event registration outfit Eventarc, says one of the most common traps for start-ups is making incorrect assumptions about sales conversion rates and earnings.

“When we started we had a bunch of assumptions about how much traffic Google AdWords would drive to our site and how many sales conversions we would get from visitor traffic," says Handsaker.

"But we got half the traffic we thought we would, our Google AdWords campaign was three times more expensive than we anticipated and our conversion rate was 20 per cent of what we expected. The lesson for us was not to throw money at the marketing campaign; it's about testing your assumptions.

“You really need to put systems in place to understand where your customers are coming from. It's worth investing time to track your marketing metrics from end to end. You also need to differentiate your statistics so you know how much business you get from your AdWords campaign and how much you get from other channels like email marketing," he says.

"Then at the end of your first 100 days you can make decision about where to spend your money based on the results of the first three months of your campaign."

Everyday Marketing: What is the Goal of Marketing?

Personally, I believe the goal of marketing is to make your name known to everyone. Certainly if you are a small local business, everyone in your local area should know who you are, where you are and do business with you. I hope that makes sense.
So how do you get to that place? It’s simple! Advertise.
Advertising gets your message out to the masses, and it’s more affordable than you think. If people in your area have a favorite newspaper, advertise in it. If people in your area have a favorite restaurant, advertise on their placemats. If people in your area have a favorite website, radio station or television channel, advertise on them.
You need to create top-of mind-awareness. Because we’re the flawed humans that we are, we need reminders. People forget things, especially in the busy times we live in. And trust me, the older people get, the more they forget.
You should also collect as much information from your customers as possible. Ask them for their name, mailing address, phone number, email address and cell phone number. You need this information in the instance you want to send them a direct mail piece, email or text message.
Speaking of mobile marketing, you’re going to see that industry explode very quickly.

Most online marketing services to utilise mobile in 2011

The majority of companies engaged in internet marketing services activities will look to capitalise on the opportunities afforded to them by mobile phone, it has been claimed.

A report by the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) in partnership with the Mobile Marketing Association revealed 88 per cent of firms in the US will look to take advantage of the platform this current year.

Expenditure will also increase, with 75 per cent saying they would put more money into the area in 2011, for an average spending increase of 59 per cent compared with 2010.

The study also found that organisations that reported the top success rates were those that integrated their mobile advertising with other platforms and used a wide range of metrics to analyse their performance.

Bob Liodice, president and chief executive officer of ANA said: "With the anticipated raise in adoption this current year, we expect to see fresh, innovative approaches, increased brand-building success and better accountability for this exciting channel."

Spain plans partial nationalization of savings banks

A source familiar with the matter told Reuters the government will force debt-laden savings banks to become conventional banks and seek stock market listings to persuade skittish investors that they are good investments.
The state-backed bank restructuring fund (FROB) would then take stakes in the banks -- known as cajas -- which fail to attract private investment, the source said. Up to now the FROB has functioned as a lender to the cajas.
High levels of bad property loans at the savings banks is seen as a major risk for Spain's government as it aggressively cuts its budget deficit to stave off fears it will need an Irish or Greek-style rescue from the European Union and International Monetary Fund.
Estimates of the cost to recapitalize the savings banks range from 17 billion to 120 billion euros, with consensus falling in the 25 billion to 50 billion range.
Even in the absence of private investment into the weak regional lenders, economists say Spain could afford that level of rescue without seeking outside aid, which could take pressure of the euro zone aid fund the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF).
Analysts say the EFSF could probably not cope with a full bailout of Spain without extending its scope.

Online marketing should become more targeted

Businesses looking to develop their online marketing campaigns could start using behavioural marketing, one expert suggests.

According to Nurun's Amy Manus, writing in a post for ClickZ, behavioural marketing can be an effective way of furthering customer relationships using data already in the company's possession.

Giving the example of brands sending electronic vouchers for their consumers birthday, she notes that simple touches like this can go a long way to retaining people's loyalty.

Walmart Marketing Strategy with the Right Focus

Michelle Obama’s fight against obesity led retail giant Walmart to shift its marketing strategy to a more desired direction: healthier foods. According to The New York Times, the retailer will announce a five-year plan on Thursday to make some of its packaged foods lower in unhealthy salts, fats and sugars, and to drop prices on fruits and vegetables.
To make sure that there were no misunderstandings, Leslie Dach, Wal-Mart’s executive vice president for corporate affairs answered an obvious question before even being asked: “This is not about asking the farmers to accept less for their crops,” and stated that Walmart will be cutting into its own profits but hopes to make up for it in sales volume.
Walmart will press its major food suppliers to follow its lead. For instance, they are confident that Kraft, which apparently delivers 16% of its global sales through Walmart, will also reduce salts, fats and sugars in its line of products.
So far, everything rosy. What puzzles is that Walmart decided to implement this change slowly, over a period of five years. The main reason is obvious: healthier food costs more, and since Walmart decided not to increase prices, but to lower them, they expect some “financial hurdles.” But the company gave a second reason, which is indicative of what they think about their consumers. Apparently, people have to get used to the taste of healthier food… because “It doesn’t do you any good to have healthy food if people don’t eat it.”
I am sure our readers are intelligent enough to understand what’s wrong with the statement above, for those who don’t, here’s the scoop. Walmart believes that their consumers would rather buy food that makes them sick, than choose healthy foods. I am sure many customers go to a store and pick a cheaper product instead of, let’s say, organic veg, because they are trying to save some money. And I bet that, if given the choice at a decent price, people would rather buy healthy foods.

Veteran Media Exec Has History Supervising Ad Sales

Veteran media executive Randy Falco has turned up again, this time as chief operating officer of Spanish-language TV broadcaster Univision Communications.
Mr. Falco, once the second-in-command when Bob Wright ran NBC Universal and later CEO of ailing AOL, is expected to oversee all "revenue-driving functions," Univision said today, including ad sales, distribution sales and affiliate relations, as well as the operations of Univision's TV and radio station groups, corporate marketing, research and business development. He will report to Joe Uva, president-CEO of Univision Communications.
Mr. Falco left AOL in the spring of 2009 after the company's then-owner Time Warner said it was replacing him with Tim Armstrong. Mr. Falco previously enjoyed a decades-long run at NBC, where he supervised many of the functions he will oversee at Univision. Mr. Falco departed the company after Jeff Zucker was named to replace Mr. Wright.
Mr. Falco has an encyclopedic knowledge of the TV business, and has often been counted on as the person to find ways to make all the trains run on time, as it were. At NBC he was involved in decisions ranging from ad sales and the upfront to product-integration deals.

Government Launches Review Of COI And Marketing & Advertising By Whitehall

The coalition government has published the terms of reference for the COI and direct communications review last week.
The review led by Matt Tee, the Permanent Secretary for Government Communications would examine how Government should undertake paid for advertising and marketing campaigns for maximum effectiveness and efficiencies for the taxpayer.
Francis Maude, the Cabinet Office Minister, who commissioned the review last year said: The Government needs to be far more innovative in thinking about how it can best deliver incredibly important public information messages. We need to incorporate the latest ideas from initiatives such as the Ad-Council in the US and the latest thinking from experts such as our Behavioural Insight “nudge” Team."
"If we get this right we can save the taxpayer money and increase the effectiveness of our campaigns, which is why I’m so pleased we have this team of experts on-hand to help advise us."
The review will draw evidence from:
* COI;
* Government departments;
* the advertising and marketing industry;
* commercial partners of Government such as supermarkets and financial service providers;
* media owners; and
* former heads of COI and the Government Communication profession.

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The Power of Online Marketing Now Available to Small Businesses

Small businesses and entrepreneurs who need the power of effective and affordable online marketing tools now have an answer. TNNWC Group, LLC, has launched a suite of online services for its members. Adam J. Kovitz and Douglas Castle, Co-Chairpersons of TNNWC Group, LLC , have announced that member businesses will be able to take advantage of all that the Internet and related media have to offer with their new service offerings.

"Once again, TNNWC has identified an area that is vital to the success and growth of a small business but is typically out of their reach financially,” Kovitz said. “An entrepreneur starting his or her own business has plenty of hurdles to clear in the beginning. Certainly, financing is one obstacle (which we are, by the way, also addressing with our Emerging Enterprise Venture Capital Program™),” Kovitz added parenthetically. “Now, we can help these same companies reach the next level by adding such services as web design and web development to their arsenal of marketing weaponry.”

Leading the division for these services is a veteran of online marketing, Robert Kintigh, whose firm, The Growth Masters Inc., has powered client companies with online services for years.

“Online marketing is the latest and most dynamic evolutionary step in the process we saw years ago in TV or radio advertising,” Kintigh said. “However, back then, you had to write down information on a paper pad. Today, you click on a website or a link and you’re instantly provided the information you want. The result is that an advertiser today has much less time – seconds, really – to pitch a service or product,” he explained. “Businesses of all sizes need to ensure their online presence – e.g., their website – is able to not only capture customers’ attention but make them want to buy from them at virtually the same time.”

And this is where TNNWC’s newest service steps in, giving member businesses the same range and power of marketing reach as businesses many times larger but for a fraction of the price.

Another service TNNWC is making available to its members with this new offering is GIST Video, which helps a business tell its story via video, arguably the most influential medium, traditional or new, today.

“This is yet one more reason why we feel we can confidently state that TNNWC is becoming the new paradigm in entrepreneurship,” Kovitz said. “The only way businesses will be able to survive and succeed going forward is by investing in the types of services available from TNNWC.”

HOW TO: Market Your Small Business With No Budget

From a marketing standpoint, it’s a great time to own or start a business. The social web makes it more cost-effective than ever to get the word out about your products and services, no matter what industry you’re in. Most social media accounts are free to set up, and many targeted online ad platforms are inexpensive. The most it will cost you to get your marketing campaign rolling, at least in the beginning, is time.

In fact, the toughest challenge facing small business marketers these days is not cost, but finding a strategy to get your message heard over the din of a noisy Internet (Internet). For advice on this, we checked in with a few experienced social media marketers. Here’s what they had to offer.
Advertising is not always the best way to market on social networks. People crave valuable content, and it can be as niche as the very products you’re selling. By blogging, tweeting, sharing, and updating about things relevant to your industry, you can build credibility in your field.

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Businesses to benefit from free online seminar

Where does your business grade when people do an online search? Do you want a high listing without paying a small fortune?

These are just two of many questions people are asking about online marketing. And, The Reporter and Times Herald trust to provide answers to. The organizations will be offering two free online and search engine marketing seminars for area businesses.

The seminars take position on Monday Jan. 17. The first one is set for 9 a.m. at the Times Herald building, 410 Markley St., Norristown. The second one is set for 3 p.m. at The Reporter, 307 Derstine Ave., Lansdale.

Online Marketing Experts & Author Team Up To Launch New Integrated Marketing Firm

Two online marketing experts have joined forces to launch a latest marketing firm focused on helping companies integrate their marketing efforts. Rebecca Ryan, a Search Marketing and Keyword Research & Tools expert and Liana "Li" Evans a Search & Social Media Marketing expert and award winning author of the social media marketing book entitled Social Media Marketing: Engaging Strategies for Facebook, Twitter & Other Social Media have formed LiBeck Integrated Marketing with offices in the Philadelphia, PA and Los Angeles, CA areas.

"Companies are continually looking to become more efficient and smart about their marketing strategies. Rather than employing 10 different vendors to control each channel of their marketing strategies, companies are now looking to one or two companies to pull it all together for them. Our team's combined expertise allows LiBeck Integrated Marketing to fill that need for companies looking to integrate their market efforts," explained Rebecca Ryan, the company's COO and co-founder.

R.R. Donnelley buys online real estate marketing company

R.R. Donnelley & Sons Co. has acquired 8touches.com, a provider of online marketing solutions for the real estate business.

Donnelley told the acquisition would expand its portfolio of Internet-based solutions, in particular its software development and distribution services, as well as add targeted applications for additional industries and vertical segments. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Facebook – the Online Marketing Platform of 2011?

Online marketing specialist Craig MacDonald said this week that Facebook will be the place to be seen in 2011, with an expected surge in the number of companies advertising on the social network.

In an article for Search Engine Watch, Mr MacDonald estimated that online marketing departments are going to devote up to 20 per cent of their entire advertising budgets to Facebook alone.

He admitted that promotions on Facebook suffered from “atrocious” clickthrough rates previous year, but insisted that things are now very different, with the social media platform now competing with established search engines such as Google for conversion rates.

Stressing that Facebook is “huge, it’s global and it’s growing,” Mr MacDonald insisted that it currently operates “dollar for dollar” as efficiently as Google, in online marketing terms.

Online travel firm Expedia drops American Airlines

Internet-based travel company Expedia told it has suspended the sale of American Airlines tickets from its site, calling American's new direct online marketing strategy "anti-consumer and anti-choice".

"As a result, the sale of American Airlines flights on our site has been suspended," Expedia said in a statement, adding however that it remained "open to doing business with American Airlines on terms that are satisfactory to Expedia".

"American Airlines is attempting to introduce a new straight connect model that will result in higher costs and reduced transparency for consumers, making it difficult to compare American Airlines ticket prices and options with offerings by other airlines," it added.

The airlines' AA Direct Connect model "would compromise travel agents? ability to give travelers with the best selection," said Expedia, adding the new commercial strategy "we trust is anti-consumer and anti-choice".

B2B Marketing & Lead Generation predictions for 2011!

Lead generation is an intrinsic part of each B2B organization, without this activity it is not possible to keep a business up and running. 2010 saw several interesting trends in the space of B2b online Marketing and Lead generation.

According to a current eMarketer report, in 2010 marketers put more money into online advertising than newspapers, with online marketing budgets touching a whooping $26 billion.

The year also saw, B2B marketers taking to social media with a vengeance, according to a study by Biz Report, 86% of B2B firms today are using social media, compared to 82% of B2C outfits. This is in line with Outsell’s ‘Annual Advertising and Marketing Study 2010′, where it stated that B2B Marketing spending on social networking sites would increase 43.3% in 2010.

Insurance Claim Industry-2011 Online Marketing Specials

All marketing services emphasize search engine optimization features to help clients' with organic search results. From Google video ads and directory listings, to website development and full page search engine optimized ads, Insurance Claim Contractor is dedicated to providing their customers with the best bang for their buck!

The use of the internet continues to be recognized as a primary source of searching for services and provides tremendous opportunity for growing a business, therefore Insurance Claim Contractor Group is committed to assisting their customers develop a solid online presence in their local area and profit from the claims industry’s most innovative resources.

Insurance Claim Contractor Group offers EVERYTHING insurance claim professionals need to advertise their business and services. ICC offers “one-stop shopping” for a fraction of the cost of traditional advertising by utilizing cutting-edge search engine optimization features. Insurance Claim Contractor Group work effortlessly to drive local traffic to customers seeking insurance claim services.

Localisation and Good Copywriting Keys to Online Marketing in 2011

One online marketing expert has made his predictions for the major areas of interest in the sector set to dominate the New Year.

Hit Search founder Andrew Redfern said that copywriting skills will become “more important than ever” in 2011 as quality of content starts to be the decider in many online advertising campaigns.

He said that marketing teams will have to raise the bar when it comes to their knowledge skills, as they respond to the increasingly fragmented nature of the online marketing arena.

A third area in which online marketing is due to develop is in terms of planning, he went on. The new ability on search engines such as Google to carry out localised searches and focus on cross-platform resources, ­­­means that online advertising campaigns will need to be better integrated over the next 12 months if they are to be successful.

Google Adwords and Adsense, Marketing Assistance for Online Business

Google Adwords and Adsense are two of the services that Google offers to businesses both offline and online. Their inclusion in any marketing campaign can generate a lot of revenue for very little investment. Even if you own a small business in a small community, you can still become global using Google Adwords and Adsense.

This is a service that allows a member (anyone can sign up), to advertise on websites across the internet. You can use as much money as you like, setup your marketing campaign based on a budget, days you want it to run and even how much you want to spend on each click that you get. PPC, or pay per click is how advertisers get websites to display their ads, they pay the websites, through Google and Google Adwords.